Redskins Locker Room

It's great to be back and have Redskins football finally going again. Also very good to start things off with a win. I thought the Redskins played well enough to win in that game, but it would have been a struggle to get a victory against a better team. I think against the tougher opponents they are going to have to establish the running game earlier. Jason Campbell had some inconsistency, but that is to be expected from someone his age, and he will get better, otherwise I thought he played well and handled the pressure well down the stretch.

On the defensive side of the football, the Redskins played well, especially at the linebacker position. I'm still concerned about the defensive line's pass rush. Carter did a decent job, and they all played the run very well, but they need some more penetration inside the pocket. To answer a specific question, the reason that the Redskins are playing such a cushion at the cornerback position, is because they were beat quite often last year on "double moves". Giving the wide receivers such a big cushion helps so they are not beat on these types of moves, but as you can see it has some downfalls on it as well defending the quick passes. The coaches cited a possible injury for the reason that Springs wasn't playing and you can see the types of drama that are coming from that. However, for the Redskins to be an elite defense he needs to be on the field, because he is the only "shut down" type of cornerback that they have.

On the Jon Jansen injury and how that may effect Chris Cooley... I think it had a bigger effect on him during the Miami game than it will the rest of the season and heres why...The reason Stefan Heyer was put into the game on Sunday was because Todd Wade was inactive (although dressed). They did this because Heyer had the RT work during the preseason and the Redskins were worried about Samuels having trouble during game one and thats why they went with Heyer over Wade. Had Wade gone in for Jansen, than Heyer would not have been able to play had Chris Samuels gone down.

With the Rache Caldwell signing, the Redskins obviously see that as a need and I just hope James Thrash doesnt get lost in the shuffle there at wide reciever because he is a very important asset to this team. I can't put my finger on Lloyd. I just think that his head is not totally in the games at all times. He shows flashes, but may not run routes through as much as he should. In addition, if you notice he did not get the type of work in with Jason Campbell last season that Antwan Randel El did. When Jason took over at QB, that is when Lloyd was either injured, or on the bench...and that could be why Randel El is doing so well with Jason thusfar.

Finally, the Redskins have a huge test coming up this Monday. The Redskins can really make a statement this Monday against Philadelphia. Most people are expecting Philadelphia to win this football game, but the Redskins have a chance.... they need to commit to the run early and play strong defense. I think they'll give up a big play or too, because Philadelphia has such a strong offense. If they can keep McNabb of the feild by rushing the ball, and take the run away from Philadlephia, they have a chance to be successful on Monday. The begining of the season is going to be very important to Washington with the stretch they have in October and November.....

Thanks Guys! Talk to you again next week!

-Tony

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Tony McGee's NFL career started in 1971 where he was a starting defensive end for the Chicago Bears. In 1974, Tony began a 7 year stint with the New England Patriots and earned the nickname, "Mac the Sack." His unique ability to swarm opposing quarterbacks helped coin the phrase, "designated pass rusher." Tony's career as a Washington Redskin began in 1982, and included a Super Bowl championship. Tony ended his spectacular career in 1985 with 106 career sacks and played in over 200 games -- a feat achieved only by a select group of NFL defensive linemen.
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